Can chocolate improve your sex life? Brenden Durell spills the cocoa beans about cacao

When Brenden Durell, relationship expert on Netflix’s hit show Too Hot to Handle, isn’t talking romance, his next favorite topic is cacao, as the powder is called Latin America. Cacao, made by cold-pressing raw cacao beans, mirrors hot cocoa, but without the addictive sugars. Durell, an expert on emotional and physical wellness, riffs on the history and importance of cacao as a healing modality and a perfect pairing for spiritual ceremonies. But as DETOUR learns, all cacao is not created equal. Big corporations mass produce chocolate, frequently exploiting child labor in West Africa, which produces 70 percent of chocolate, including the most premium beans. And, of course, we ask Durell the question on every chocolate lover’s mind: is chocolate really an aphrodisiac? Brenden Durell unveils cocoa’s bedroom mystique, plus lots more in DETOUR’s rapid fire.

Jasmine Stodghill is cofounder of DETOUR: Best stories in Black travel. She is a career educator, mentor and youth program facilitator. A graduate of New York University, Jasmine currently serves as a reading specialist for Columbia Public Schools. Jasmine also serves on the board of Central Missouri’s, Jack and Jill of America and is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.. Prior to joining Columbia Public Schools, she worked at Brisbane Academy where she taught interdisciplinary courses, developed curriculum, and led the school’s accreditation efforts, as well as served as program director for P1 Enterprises LLC. A native of Rockland County, New York, Jasmine has worked with urban and rural populations from Charlotte, North Carolina to Ifrane, Morocco.

This story was originally published July 10, 2023 at 6:30 PM with the headline "Can chocolate improve your sex life? Brenden Durell spills the cocoa beans about cacao."